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Drug death driver jailed
A speeding driver who had taken a cocktail of drugs has been jailed after admitting knocking down and killing a loving grandfather.
Carl Bostock, 21, was found to have traces of cocaine, cannabis and diazapam in his blood after the collision which killed 58-year-old widower, Peter Riley.
Warehouseman Bostock, of Stuart Avenue, Hindley, admitted that he regularly spent 400 a month on his cocaine habit and admitted taking cocaine the day before the tragedy, at 11.25pm on March 27.
Experts could not say when he had last taken drugs or if they had impaired his driving. Jailing him for three years, Judge David Aubrey, QC, issued a warning to motorists not to drive after taking drugs.
He said: "It must be understood that those who use drugs cannot go anywhere near the wheel of a motor car.
"While forensic experts may not themselves be able to state that the presence of a drug demonstrates impairment, common sense does so dictate."
A family torn apart - see page two (click next page at bottom of this article)
He said that the slogan not to drink and drive should also emphasise not to drive and take drugs.
Judge Aubrey told Bostock: "Not only were you impaired in consequence of the consumption of drugs, you were driving in excess of the speed limit. Speed can kill as you now readily appreciate."
Liverpool Crown Court heard that after his arrest Bostock and friends put remarks on his Facebook site which upset the victim's family.
Judge Aubrey said he disregarded the remarks, but said he was concerned about whether Bostock appreciated the enormity of what he had done and its consequences on the whole family.
Bostock, who had admitted causing death by careless driving while under the influence of drugs, was also banned from driving for four years.
Members of the victim's close family sat in the public gallery and the judge told Bostock that his driving had devastated the family.
He added: "You have caused that family insurmountable grief.
"No term of imprisonment, whatever its duration can, nor will, reconcile the bereaved family with their loss or cure their grief."
Graham Pickavance, prosecuting, said that Mr Riley, an agency worker, was crossing Leigh bridge in St Helens Road, Leigh, on his way to his nearby home when he was hit by Bostock's Ford Escort.
He said: "He was thrown over the car and sustained severe injuries."
Investigations showed that Bostock had been travelling through the built-up area at 47mph before the collision. At the time of impact he had been doing between 33 to 40mph on the road, which has a 30mph limit.
Geoffrey Whelan, defending, said that Bostock had no previous convictions and was genuinely remorseful.
He said that a remark by Bostock on his Facebook page last month: "Court on Monday, oop not" was just a youthful way of indicating he was dreading it. He said he condemned flippant remarks by his friends and he had not intended to cause hurt.
The headline on a previous article regarding Carl Bostock incorrectly read 'Drunk driver admits killing a loving grandad.' We have been asked to point out that he was under the influence of drugs and not drink. He was initially charged with causing death by careless driving while under the influence of drink or drugs.A family torn apart
The family of a man killed by a speeding driver who had taken drugs today hit out at his sentence.
Widower Peter Riley, 58, died when a Ford Escort car driven by Carl Bostock ploughed into him.
Bostock admitted causing death by careless driving while under the influence of drugs and was jailed for three years.
But today Mr Riley's daughter, Sharon Ashbrook, said that while nothing could bring her dad back the family did not think the sentence reflected the magnitude of the action Bostock had done.
She described her father as "a great, loving dad, grandad and brother" who was looking forward to retirement.
He was walking home after a night out with friends when tragedy struck.
His three grandchildren, aged 10, 11 and 14, are said to be devastated.
She said: "They still sometimes cry themselves to sleep.
"There is a police campaign about drug-driving and I intend to get involved with this. It is not well recognised – and it needs to be."
PC David Erentz, from the Road Policing Unit, said: "We are once again faced with the reality of what can happen when you get behind the wheel when under the influence of drugs.
"Bostock unwittingly put himself and others in danger even before he got behind the wheel. Consequently his actions that evening ended with a family's world being turned upside down.
"Both Bostock's and Peter's family now have to live with the consequences and I hope today's sentence will send a clear message to other motorists, especially in the lead up to Christmas, that getting behind the wheel under the influence of drugs can have tragic and profound consequences."
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Friday 25 May 2012
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